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Elon Musk filed suit against OpenAI and Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman<\/a>, alleging they have breached the artificial-intelligence startup\u2019s founding agreement by putting profit ahead of benefiting humanity.<\/p>\n The 52-year-old billionaire<\/a>, who helped fund OpenAI in its early days, said the company\u2019s close relationship with Microsoft<\/a> Corp. has undermined its original mission of creating open-source technology that wouldn\u2019t be subject to corporate priorities. Musk, who is also CEO of Tesla<\/a> Inc., has been among the most outspoken about the dangers of AI and artificial general intelligence, or AGI.<\/p>\n \u201cTo this day, OpenAI Inc.\u2019s website continues to profess that its charter is to ensure that AGI \u201cbenefits all of humanity.\u201d In reality, however, OpenAI Inc. has been transformed into a closed-source de facto subsidiary of the largest technology company in the world: Microsoft,\u201d the lawsuit said.<\/p>\n In\u00a0the filing<\/a>\u00a0in San Francisco, Musk took aim at the restructuring of OpenAI\u2019s leadership last year, a tumultuous period during which Altman was ousted as CEO and then quickly reinstated with support from Microsoft. Musk argued in the suit that Altman, OpenAI President Greg Brockman and Microsoft worked together to oust the majority of the startup\u2019s board, who had been responsible for enforcing its original mission of developing technology for the benefit of humanity.<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Altman hand-picked a new Board that lacks similar technical expertise or any substantial background in AI governance, which the previous board had by design,\u201d the lawsuit said. \u201cThe new Board consisted of members with more experience in profit-centric enterprises or politics than in AI ethics and governance. They were also reportedly \u2018big fans of Altman.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n The case marks an escalation in the one of the highest-profile clashes in the emerging field of AI, pitting two of its most prominent proponents against each other. The lawsuit will have implications not just for OpenAI, which is seeking to raise funds at\u00a0a valuation<\/a>\u00a0of $100 billion or more, but also from Microsoft. Its shares have over the past year as enterprises seek to capitalize on the potential of AI services.<\/p>\n \u201cWith this restructuring, OpenAI Inc. abandoned its non-profit mission of developing AGI for the benefit of humanity broadly, thereby keeping it out of the hands of a large for-profit corporation in which vast power would be unduly concentrated,\u201d the lawsuit said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSubscribe to the Eye on AI newsletter to stay abreast of how AI is shaping the future of business. Sign up<\/a> for free.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n